Rich parents 'use status to disrupt child protection probes'

As part of a study into neglect among rich families, academics from Goldsmiths University interviewed social workers and other children's services professionals across 12 councils.

The majority of child protection concerns related to affluent families involve emotional neglect, according to the research, although sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation and emotional abuse were also uncovered.

The research found that affluent parents can actively use their wealth and status to attempt to disrupt investigations.

Techniques used include making formal complaints, sometimes via lawyers, against social workers to deflect attention away from concerns about their parenting.

Investigations into affluent parents also become time and resource heavy for children's services, as such families are often more knowledgeable of the system and are more likely to oppose decisions.